“To avert an even bigger disaster,” she admitted. “I found a library.”
He grimaced. “Olena hates the library. She says the smell of books reminds her of rotting wood.”
“Which brings me to my main point.” She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to ignore how out of place she looked in her T-shirt and jeans next to him. “If someone had just told me something useful about her, I wouldn’t have ended up there in the first place.”
“When you meet with the Basileus and Basilissa tomorrow,” he told her, “they’ll tell you things. Anything they think you’ll need to know.”
“Which could be nothing.”
“It could be,” he agreed, and for a moment she was just grateful that he hadn’t bothered lying to her. “But again, that’s why I’m here. If you have questions, ask me, Delaney. I’ll do my best to give you answers. This isn’t an ideal situation for either of us, and it certainly isn’t going to be easy.” He paused; then: “But there’s something else you’re not saying. The fact that you ended up in a library can’t be the reason you went pale a second ago.”
“It’s not. Trystan saw me.” She toed the book she’d taken. She didn’t know why she’d even bothered; from the little she’d gleaned, it wasn’t going to be very helpful. Taking the time to replace it though, with the Zane standing right there, hadn’t seemed like a good idea. “He talked to me.”
“Did he suspect something?” Her earlier question repeated back at her was somewhat ironic.
“I don’t think so,” she parroted in turn. “He noticed there were differences—the me-being-in-a-library thing wasn’t lost on him, either—but aside from that … he was the same arrogant asshole I met on the ship.”
Ruckus pressed his knuckles at the space between his eyes as if he had a headache. “This is exactly why I don’t want you going off alone. I understand you’re used to doing things on your own terms, but this isn’t Earth.”
“Gee,” she drawled, “thanks for the reminder.”
“I already apologized for taking you,” he grated. “Do you need me to say it again?”
Childishly, she shrugged a single shoulder, but managed to keep from actually saying yes. It wouldn’t hurt hearing him grovel, but unfortunately it wouldn’t help, either.
He let out a heavy sigh. “All right, let’s try this again. You should really get some rest. The Basileus isn’t exactly known for his patience, so when you meet him for breakfast tomorrow, you’re going to want to be at your best. Tonight I’m going to be right outside. Me. Not Pettus. Also me? Not getting any sleep now. I’d sarcastically thank you for that, but I fear you’d just—”
“You’re welcome.” She couldn’t help the grin.
“Do that.” He dropped his hand against his thigh and then made his way over to the door. It shut quietly behind him.
Once he’d left, she found her body going lax, and she climbed back into the bed like a zombie. Earlier it might not have been possible, but this time, she was out the second her head hit the pillow.
CHAPTER 8
It was a struggle, and she had to force herself to do it, but once Delaney glanced in the mirror in the bathroom, she couldn’t look away. She’d hoped that since she was prepared to see Olena looking back at her this time, it wouldn’t be as startling. Nope, that was definitely not the case. Though their hair was basically the same length, the slick black strands were incredibly foreign, and the gold-and-violet eyes peering back creeped her out.
Of course, even with a different face, the effects of yesterday were visible.
There were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, not to mention puffy red marks, proof that she’d been crying before last night’s library excursion. If only she’d thought to have her purse on her instead of leaving it in the car that night at the club, then she’d be fine. Half of her makeup was in there; she didn’t use much.
Dipping her hands into the water basin she’d already filled with cold water, she waited for her fingers to chill and then pressed them beneath her eyes. A few more times, and at least some of the swelling had gone down.
A knock on the bathroom door startled her, and she silently cursed her jumpiness. How was she supposed to convince an entire castle full of people she was a princess if she couldn’t even get ahold of herself while alone? Expecting Ruckus, she didn’t take the time to mask her frustration as she moved over and yanked the door open.
Only to be met with a petite blond girl in a forest-green dress with buttons all up the front. Her hair was pulled to the side in a single curly ponytail, and she held her hands clasped in front of her. She bowed the second their eyes met. Hers were an emerald with a ring of vibrant orange, and for a second Delaney stood there speechless, staring at her.
“Good daybreak, Lissa Olena.” The girl bowed again and then glanced over her shoulder into the bathroom. A frown marred her otherwise cherubic face. She had to only be around a year or so younger than Delaney. “I was told by the Teller that you could accommodate yourself.”
“Pettus?” She cleared her throat, and straightened some in the hopes it would help her appear more regal and less … well, like her. “Teller Pettus was mistaken. I’m afraid my trip to Earth has left me a bit muddled.” Did they say things like muddled on Xenith?
“Would you like help getting ready, Lissa Olena?”
“If that wouldn’t be too much trouble.” Crap. “I mean, yes, please.”
Forget this. Letting out another sigh, she spun on her heel, went to the sink, and threw out her arm toward it. Not knowing how to act—proper, friendly, etc.—was making things worse. She decided to go on instinct from here on out. Hopefully it wouldn’t end up being the worst mistake—or the last, for that matter—she ever made.
“How the heck am I supposed to get makeup out of this thing?” she asked, exasperated.
With a slight giggle that she tried to hide, the girl stepped forward and reached beneath the outer lip of the stone counter. She must have pressed a hidden latch there, for a drawer sprung out.
It was about six feet long and four feet deep, and packed with more products than Delaney could use in her entire lifetime. Some of it looked slightly familiar, but for the most part, the items were foreign. Reaching in, she cautiously lifted a tube of pale pink. It was shaped sort of like lipstick, but when she pulled the top off, a wand with bristles on the end popped out.
“Did you want to go with pink today, Lissa?” the girl asked, already picking out a few matching items from the drawer to go along with the tube in Delaney’s hand.
Back home, Delaney didn’t bother much with makeup, but she recalled seeing differently of Olena in the photo Ruckus had shown her. Her eyes wandered back up to the mirror, and this time it was easy to quickly look away. Mariana would know what to do with a face like Olena’s, just what shades to use, how much.